Founding
of Chichén Itzá
As with many aspects of Mayan history, the history of Chichén
Itzá is obscure: Written records are scarce. In the historical
records that do exist, dates that were several years apart were
often given the same name, due to the organization of the Mayan
calendar. Most sources agree that from approximately AD 550 to AD
800, Chichén Itzá existed mainly as a ceremonial center
for the Maya. The area was then largely abandoned for about a hundred
years (why, no one is certain), to be resettled around AD 900. Shortly
before AD 1000, it was invaded by the Toltecs, a people from the
north.

The
Toltecs had settled at Tula, near modern-day Mexico City, around AD
900 under the rule of a king named Topiltzin. Topiltzin also took
the name of Quetzalcoatl, or “Feathered Serpent,” the
name of an Aztec god. A rival warrior faction forced Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl
and his followers out of Tula around AD 987. Mayan historical sources
mention that in the period that ended in AD 987, a man who called
himself Kukulkán arrived in Chichén Itzá from
the west (Kukul means “feathered” and kan
means “serpent”). A strong case has been made that Topiltzin
Quetzalcoatl and Kukulkán were most likely the same person,
and that he brought the Toltec beliefs and practices to Chichén
Itzá, including the practice of human sacrifice. The Toltecs
were somewhat open to new ideas, however, incorporating some beliefs
held by the Maya already at Chichén Itzá.